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 Experts with the California Coastal Commission issued a report in
favor of allowing SeaWorld to go ahead with its so-called Blue World
Project on several conditions, officials said.
Those include one provision limiting SeaWorld on how it could expand
its population of 11 killer whales and requiring the theme park to
protect the sea mammals from noise during construction.
SeaWorld has drawn up plans for two orca pools, one containing 5.2
million gallons (19.7 million liters) of water and another with
450,000 gallons (1.7 million liters). It would represent an increase
in volume of nearly 3.8 million gallons (14.4 million liters),
officials said.
The commission will vote on the project on Oct. 8, said Noaki
Schwartz, a spokeswoman for the agency.
The proposal has generated so much interest the meeting will be held
at the massive Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center to
accommodate members of the public wanting to attend, Schwartz said.
"People have sent us tens of thousands of letters and more than
120,000 e-mails from around the world, which is unprecedented," she
said.
Most emails have been in opposition to the plan, said Schwartz, who
added, "there's a lot of passion on both sides."
"Please deny SeaWorld the opportunity to build a bigger prison. Help
get the orcas one step closer to a world where they can really
thrive -- not in tanks, but in seaside sanctuaries," stated a
typical emailed petition.
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SeaWorld has faced heated criticism and declining business since the
2013 documentary "Blackfish" presented a dim view of how the company
treats orcas.
Animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
(PETA) has led the charge against the project.
Even though expansion would give the orcas more room, it would fall
far short of what is needed for the predators, which in the wild can
dive hundreds of feet (meters), said Jared Goodman, an attorney for
PETA.
"The proposed Blue World project will provide not only an expanded
habitat for whales, but also new opportunities for researchers to
conduct studies that will benefit killer whales and other cetaceans
in the wild," Paul Ponganis, a research physiologist at Scripps
Institution of Oceanography, said in a SeaWorld statement.
(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles; Editing by Daniel
Wallis and Sandra Maler)
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